Today we learned all about Antoni Gaudi, and I personally am a huge fan. First we started our day by getting breakfast at a large outdoor food market called Mercat de la Boqueria and coffee at Dunkin’ Donuts, which is called Dunkin’ Coffee over here. Then we hopped on the metro and rode to La Sagrada Familia. The construction began in 1882 and now 127 years later it still is not finished. In fact they do not think it will be completed until 2030. A third façade is to be added and enough towers so that they number eighteen. Gaudi’s connection to nature and his unique take on the art nuveau style is at the center of the design. In the interior columns shaped like tree trunks extend up to a ceiling made of what looks like the tops of palm trees. The exterior is the most impressive part. On parts of the roof are cones that are filled with fruits designed by mosaics. Almost all of the color in Gaudi’s structures comes from ceramic mosaics. Creating these pieces must have been so labor intensive it is amazing he was able to create so much. From there we went to the Parc Guell in the part of Barecelona called Gracia. The land was originally meant to be used as a garden city community with 60 homes. Only two houses were ever built on the land one in which Gaudi himself lived. Walking into the park is like entering a fairy tale, which is appropriate because Gaudi was inspired by Hansel and Gretel when designing it. We wandered through the winding paths and under the incredible stone archways built in typical Gaudi style. We visted his home which has been converted into a museum exhibiting his work and the actual furniture he used while alive. From there we took the metro to neighborhood called L’Eixample. Here we stopped for lunch in a café decorated in a very Gaudiesque manner. We ended up spending much more time there than we intended as it began to pour while we were eating. It even hailed a litter, but our waiter assured us this is very typical weather in Barcelona. Once the rain let up we walked over to La Pedrera. Another Gaudi masterpiece La Pedrera, also known as Casa Mila, was built between 1906 and 1912 as an apartment building. There is not one 90 degree angle or flat plain in the façade of the building. The walls undulate mimicking the motion of the sea and the steel around the balconies looks like seaweed dripping down the side of the building. The interior of the building is just as interesting with two interior courtyards encircled by the “o” shapped apartments. One
apartment is set up to give an idea of what it would have looked like when the building was first used. The top floor is a museum that highlights all of Gaudi’s architectural work and shows how he used nature in his designs. Despite the recent downpour we were able to go up onto the roof which is decorated with unique sculpture and allows for a nice view of the city. As an end to our Gaudi themed day we walked a few blocks to see Casa Batllo which was built in 1905. Its exterior is completely covered in mosaics. Next to it are two other impressive and unique structures: Casa Amatller and Casa Lleo Morera neither of which were built by Gaudi. We walked back to our hostel occasionally ducking into shops to escape from the intermittent rain showers. After resting our feet a bit we went to see a Flamenco performance at a club called Taranton. It was incredible and so passionate. There were live musicians to accompany the man and woman who each performed. Afterward we ate a late dinner like the Spaniards do at a busy pub. After dinner we went to a jam club where we listened to local musicians and singers
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